Whispers in the Night
by Spiritblaze
Summary: Post-SkyClan's Destiny oneshot. Leafstar never forgot about Firestar. She thinks about him every day, and thoughts of the ThunderClan leader plague her one night. She still loves him, but also wants to let go. Onesided LeafstarxFirestar.


**Disclaimer:** Again, I would love to own some of these characters as pets, but I do not own any of the characters nor do I own the wonderful world they live in. How devastating. ;(

**Author's Notes:** In case you're wondering, I'm actually not a big fan of this pairing, but the plot bunny just came to me today, so...xD

I hope it's worthy of your time! Enjoy! :)

/

**Whispers in the Night**

_(Leafstar POV)_

She never forgot about him. It had been many moons since he had last stood in this camp, and yet, with each passing day, Leafstar remembered him. The cat who had started it all.

Firestar.

Leafstar sighed into the Newleaf night. Her Clan grew in strength and unity every day, the tensions of the last moons were beginning to fade, and her warriors were starting to recover from the devastating battle with Dodge's group. All was well.

So why were her thoughts plagued with Firestar tonight? She had Billystorm now, a noble and kind cat who she could trust with her life. A cat who she could confide in at any time. A cat who she loved dearly and with all her heart.

...Or so she thought.

Leafstar admitted to herself that she saw a lot of Firestar in Billystorm. Both cats were courageous, compassionate, and kind-hearted. Both were noble beings who saw every life as precious. _StarClan, they even look similar,_ Leafstar thought with a humorous shake of her head. Billystorm was ginger-and-white, with forest green eyes that were just a shade lighter than Firestar's. The ginger parts of his fur were flame-colored, exactly like Firestar's.

"Oh, Firestar…" she murmured, and trailed off. What would he say to her if he saw her today? Would he approve of the choices she had made? Would he approve of the way she was leading her Clan?

She remembered the day she first met him. She remembered the awe that had coursed through her, and she remembered the excitement she had felt as he told the tale of a lost and forgotten Clan. She remembered listening to him with her ears pricked, every hair on her body tingling with excitement as he told them all about Clan life- the thrill of running through the forest and hunting to feed your Clan, the feelings of camaraderie and friendship while fighting in battle and sharing tongues, the feelings of contentment and pride that being a warrior brought. All of it had seemed so complex, and yet, so…right. Leafstar had known then and there that it was her destiny to be that kind of cat.

As time went on, her admiration of the ThunderClan leader grew. The admiration had blossomed into love; she felt love for this majestic leader who was so kind, so patient, so strong, so caring…and so noble. She remembered one unforgettable morning when she had stepped out into the early morning sunlight, only to be greeted by a truly amazing sight.

SDSDSDSDSD

_Firestar was standing regally atop Skyrock, his head and tail held high. His orange pelt was shining like flame in the morning sun, and his forest green eyes were alight with a fierce purpose and determination. Leafdapple felt the breath leave her body at the magnificent sight. She could only stare, slackjawed._

_Firestar suddenly spotted her. "Good morning, Leafdapple!" he called down to her in a warm voice. "How's the prey running?"_

_Leafdapple managed to find her voice as Firestar climbed down the rocks and entered the gorge's clearing. "Good morning, Firestar," she replied._

_Firestar stared at her, a teasing light in his green eyes. "You're certainly up early," he mewed. "Couldn't sleep?"_

"_Well, you were up earlier than I was," she teased back._

"_Yes, I had a lot on my mind," he meowed. "Do you want to take a walk?"_

"_That sounds great!" she replied._

_And so the two cats left the gorge, walking side-by-side in comfortable silence. Birdsong filled the air and wind blew gently among the trees. Firestar sighed in contentment._

"_It certainly is a beautiful morning, isn't it?"_

"_Oh, yes," Leafdapple purred. They were now in the forest that bordered SkyClan's territory._

_Firestar stopped. "How about we do some battle training?" he suggested. "I want to see how you're coming along."_

_Leafdapple glanced up in surprise, and then excitement filled her. She flexed her claws, eager to show off her skills._

"_Alright," she agreed._

_Firestar crouched down in front of her. "Attack me," he ordered._

_Leafdapple crouched down as well, trying to figure out where to begin. Firestar was bigger than her, so paw swipes and wrestling simply wouldn't do. She figured that it would be best to unbalance him first._

_She leaped, aiming to land on his shoulders, but Firestar was quick. He dropped into a crouch, and as Leafdapple hit him, rolled onto his back. Leafdapple felt herself being thrown into the air as Firestar kicked her away with all four paws._

_Leafdapple landed on her side with a grunt. "What did I do wrong?" she asked, when she had gotten back on her paws._

"_You had a good strategy, but your eyes betrayed you," Firestar told her gently. "Try again."_

_This time, Leafdapple looked at his shoulders, but aimed for his paws. She ran forward and knocked Firestar's front paws out from under him with an outstretched paw, and as Firestar started to fall on his side, she lashed out with powerful hind legs and caught him in the shoulder, sending him flying across the clearing._

_Firestar landed on his side with a whoooosh! as the breath was knocked out of him._

_Leafdapple leaped to her paws, feeling triumphant. Then she noticed Firestar lying on the ground just two fox lengths in front of her. Worry pricked her when he did not get up. Had she hurt him?_

"_Firestar?" she meowed._

_No answer._

_Leafdapple padded up to him._

"_Firestar?" she mewed, her voice growing more frantic. "Should I get Echosong?"_

_Leafdapple gasped as she felt the tom leap up and grab her by the scruff. Then he let go of her and leaned back._

"_Gotcha," he purred, eyes twinkling with amusement._

_Leafdapple breathed a sigh of relief. Then, indignation filled her._

"_That wasn't fair!" she protested._

_Firestar continued to stare at her mischievously. "Who said I have to be fair all the time?" he teased lightly._

_Leafdapple continued to glared at him for a few moments, and then let out a small mrrrow of laughter despite herself._

"_Anyways, Leafdapple, that was a great move! You're shaping up to be a brilliant fighter!"_

_His praise warmed her. "Really?"_

_Firestar nodded. "Come on," he purred. "Let's get back to camp. I bet everybody's starting to wake up now."_

_The two cats left the forest and started back to the SkyClan camp._

"_You know, Firestar," Leafdapple suddenly mewed, "this might sound strange, but I prefer diplomacy over fighting. I think it's better to settle conflicts with words, rather than claws."_

_Firestar stopped and stared at her, an intense look in his green orbs._

"_I know it sounds really weird," Leafdapple mewed quickly, awkwardly shuffling her paws. "I mean, I'm supposed to be a warrior and all."_

"_It's not weird at all," Firestar murmured, gazing at her with something akin to amazement. "I feel the same way, too. It's a great way to think, and I think you have a lot of leadership skills. You're a very special cat."_

_Leafdapple could only stare at him in silence. Then she replied, "Thank you so much, Firestar. That means a lot to me."_

SDSDSDSDSD

Leafstar shook off the memories that seemed to cling to her like a cobweb. She _had_ to stop thinking about Firestar. Firestar was in the past now. She had only the present and the future now. And Billystorm. Yes, she had loved Firestar, and a part of her still did, but he was far away, in the ThunderClan and happy with his mate, Sandstorm.

He probably even had kits of his own now.

Still, Leafstar couldn't help but remember the last morning she had seen him.

SDSDSDSDSD

_They were sitting on Skyrock, gazing down at the SkyClan camp. Leafdapple-now Leafstar-glanced at Firestar._

_He turned to her and mewed, "Sandstorm and I are leaving today."_

_Leafstar gasped. "You can't! I mean, I just became leader. There are still so many things that I don't know!"_

"_I have to leave now," Firestar told her gently. "I've been away from my Clan long enough. Besides, StarClan will guide you. They will teach you the things you still need know. Trust in them, my friend."_

_Leafstar stared at him in anguish. She didn't want him to leave. She loved him! She opened her jaws to tell him this, but rapidly changed her mind. Firestar had a mate; there was no way he loved her back, and she would just have to accept it._

_She nodded slowly in resignation. "Very well," she sighed. "I understand."_

_Firestar gazed at her. "You're going to make a fantastic leader, Leafstar. I know it in my heart. SkyClan will live on for many generations to come, and every cat will remember your name. You will be a legend, and every cat will remember you as the first leader of the reborn SkyClan. I have faith in you to be a great leader."_

_Determination filled Leafstar. "I won't let you down, Firestar," she promised quietly._

"_I know you won't, Leafstar. I have faith in you," Firestar repeated._

"_You know, Firestar I want to thank you, Leafstar meowed, her voice solemn." Before you came here, I was only Leaf, a mere loner. But thanks to you, my life has a purpose now. You helped me to meet my true destiny. I am that which I was always meant to me, and for that, I will be forever grateful. I will never forget you, Firestar. May StarClan always light your path."_

SDSDSDSDSD

And she never had forgotten Firestar. If there was one regret she felt the most…it was not telling him her true feelings when she had had the chance.

"Oh, Firestar," she whispered, tilting her head back to gaze at the star-filled sky. "If only you knew. If only you knew that I had loved you so much. A part of me still loves you. I miss you every day, and a part of me aches remembering the time we spent together. I know you're far away from here, but wherever you are now, please hear me: I love you."

Leafstar felt a soft breeze gently ruffle her fur, and then it was gone. She sighed, feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted from her heart. She was truly at peace now, and free to move on.

SDSDSDSDSD

_(Firestar POV)_

"…_I love you…"_

"What in the name of StarClan...?"

Firestar of ThunderClan opened his eyes and lifted his head. He gazed around his den, eyes finally settling on Sandstorm, his beloved mate.

He rose to his paws quietly in order to avoid waking her, and padded out into the starlit clearing. The voice of the cat in his dream was still echoing in his mind. Who had the cat been? Her voice had sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Spottedleaf? No. He would've seen her. Also, he had felt strange, as if a soft breeze had brushed into his subconscious.

But what…?

The soft breeze had seemed to carry a strange scent, a scent he knew from a long time ago.

And then, with a flash of insight, he knew.

Leafstar! The scent had been hers!

And she had also told him that she loved him. But Firestar didn't love her back; he couldn't love her back, and he knew that she knew this. He also knew that she was at peace with this knowledge, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

_How are doing, Leafstar?_ he wondered. _How are you handling your responsibilities as leader?_

Then he realized that there was no need to worry. He still had complete and utter faith in her, and he also remembered her promise.

"_I won't let you down, Firestar."_

He knew deep down that Leafstar would uphold her promise, and though he didn't love her back, he still saw her as a friend and someone special.

"Thank you, Leafstar," he whispered into the night. He looked up at the stars, and he knew that wherever Leafstar was now, she was doing the same.


End file.
